The old is the 2Mbit/sec JANET (Joint Academic NETwork) link.
This connects to the Campus Packet Switching Exchange which connects to the LAN.
It uses X25 protocols, now being phased out to be replaced by the Ethernet protocols.
There are two links to the rest of the World, the old and the new.
The old is the 2Mbit/sec JANET (Joint Academic NETwork) link.
This connects to the Campus Packet Switching Exchange which connects to the LAN.
It uses X25 protocols, now being phased out to be replaced by the Ethernet protocols.
 |
The new WAN connection is SuperJANET or JIPS (Janet Internet Protocol Service). This is a general view of it. To the rear is the BT NTU (Network Termination Unit). This provides SMDS (Switched Mode Data Service) in multiples of 34Mbits/sec. It is connected to a Cisco router |
Above is a close-up of BT NTU rear panel.
 |
This is an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) switch. ATM is thought to be the network technology of the future. Information is transmitted in fixed size packets of 53Bytes, 48 data plus 5 header. Because they were fixed size the ATM switches could switch them quickly. ATM carried data, video, voice, whatever. Latency must be minimised. |
This is a diagram labelled Newcastle University Routers it signed "Ian Doak 1 June 1995".
So is fairly contemporaneous with the 1994 snapshot.
Best viewed FULLSIZE.
This is a diagram of the JANET network dated 22 March 1995.
The abbreviations are:
EDIN - Edinburgh University
BELF - Belfast University
CARD - Cardiff University
NOTT - Nottingham University
BIRM - Birmingham University
GLAS - Glasgow University
DARES - Daresbury Nuclear Physics Laboratory
IMP-CL - Imperial College, London
LEEDS - Leeds University
NEW - Newcastle University
MAN - Manchester University
RAL - Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell
CAMB - Cambridge University
Univ-CL - University College, London
ULCC - University of London Computer Centre
TEST - presumably a test centre somewhere
Everywhere is doubly connected except TEST and Belfast.
This is just the core network of JANET, each centre connected local academic institutions.
Newcastle for example hosted connections to Northumbria, Sunderland, Durham, and Teeside universitys
as well as North East colleges, halls of residence, and research centres.